Maintenance27Adjusting Traction DriveChainsCheck Drive Chain Tension. Drive chains shouldhave about 1–1/2 to 2–1/2 inches of slack at thebottom. Chain tensioner is at front of machine(Fig. 16).1Figure 161. Chain tensionerIMPORTANT: Always tension both chainsequally to maintain front end alignment. Undersome sandy conditions, the sand can build up onthe sprockets as little shells. This enlarges thesize of the sprocket and the chain tightens.Under these conditions run the chainsconsiderably looser.